


The Other Side

by maintainingthemadness



Category: Haikyuu!!
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-07-27
Updated: 2015-07-27
Packaged: 2018-04-11 14:16:51
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,089
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4438676
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/maintainingthemadness/pseuds/maintainingthemadness
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>They say hindsight is 20/20. Like literally every other person on this planet, Sawamura Daichi had no idea who “they” was, but whomever it may be surely had some great level of sense. Daichi himself had pretty much spent the last four years of college proving that theory correct and he was miserable. There was no other way to put it than that he missed Sugawara Koushi. The two had dropped communication the day Daichi said goodbye at the airport, the day Suga left for college in America and didn’t return. Honestly, Suga really hurt Daichi when he left and now Daichi was mature enough to realize that quite a bit of that was his own fault but god he missed Suga so badly every second of every day. He was much stronger about it now, the wound a scar instead of a new gash. After all, Daichi had a whole four years to learn that nothing he would ever do would bring Suga back to him.</p>
            </blockquote>





	The Other Side

They say hindsight is 20/20. Like literally every other person on this planet, Sawamura Daichi had no idea who “they” was, but whomever it may be surely had some great level of sense. Daichi himself had pretty much spent the last four years of college proving that theory correct and he was miserable. There was no other way to put it than that he missed Sugawara Koushi. The two had dropped communication the day Daichi said goodbye at the airport, the day Suga left for college in America and didn’t return. Honestly, Suga really hurt Daichi when he left and now Daichi was mature enough to realize that quite a bit of that was his own fault but god he missed Suga so badly every second of every day. He was much stronger about it now, the wound a scar instead of a new gash. After all, Daichi had a whole four years to learn that nothing he would ever do would bring Suga back to him. 

Volleyball brought them together in their first year of high school. The team was trying a new bonding exercise, placing the new first years in practice pairs to promote unity and provide a sense of responsibility. Daichi and Suga were one pair of many. From that point on they were as close as any other pair on the team but that was far from the extent of their relationship. The two became best friends and remained so throughout all three years of high school. In their second year they discovered how to talk on the phone without getting in trouble with their parents and proceeded to spend every single night on the phone together, regardless of outside circumstances. 10pm to 3am was simply Daichi and Suga time and neither dreamed of disturbing that because of a girl or trip or anything in the entire world. That ritual thrived right up through the early hours of the day Suga left and then was completely dropped. Daichi understood wanting some time to adjust- America was awfully different, after all- but months passed and with time came realization that Suga no longer needed him like he needed Suga. 

Three months before graduation Suga gained a sudden obsession with America. He pointed out all things American to Daichi every time he got the chance, practically talked of nothing else. Despite all the signs, Daichi was still caught horribly off guard when Suga brought up his idea one night of going to America for college. Apparently he had applied on a whim and it turned out they wanted him to play volleyball for them- he had been so excited and proud that Daichi couldn’t bear to do anything but be enthusiastic. Only for Suga, he kept telling himself. Despite all the late night conversations about what would happen and how everything would work out, Daichi still could not believe that Suga would actually go through with it. He had always assumed that the two would simply go to the local university together and continue on just the way they had for all of high school. The day Suga formally announced his decision to go to America, Daichi put Asahi in charge of practice and went home. He cried for hours and ignored all of Suga’s worried texts and calls. He still made their nightly call, though. He always would. 

During summer break of their first year, Suga had the great idea of letting Daichi cut his hair. His parents were out of town and he didn’t like how long it was getting so why not have his best friend take care of it. They giggled as they tried, taking pictures along the somewhat disastrous way. Suga wore the new ‘do proudly for about six hours before promptly putting on a hat and not removing it until everything was well and truly returned to its former glory. He somehow started a trend amongst their fellow first years in that time, the senior yearbook from that year had seas of hat-wearing first years on every page. Suga put all of the pictures- the before, the during, the after, and the aftermath- into the scrapbook full of memories that he gave Daichi for graduation. Daichi looked through at scrapbook full of memories every single night, crying more often than not. 

It happened again, his parents’ endless yelling about how Daichi needed to do something more illustrious and “substantial,” how he needed to do something bigger than Sports Management at the local university. Before he knew it, Daichi was out the door and on his way to Suga’s house- the route he could run with his eyes closed, his basest instincts pulling him to Suga just as they did every time something like this occurred. Daichi stood on the doorstep, arm raised to knock when he remembered. Suga wasn’t home, Suga was so very far from home and at that moment Daichi had no one. He crumpled to the cold concrete and tried so very hard not to appear as pitiful as he felt as he called Asahi to pick him up. He realized that he’d have to rely heavier on Asahi and Noya and the rest of the team but nothing they could do would ever make them as good as Suga. 

The pair lounged on the roof of Suga’s house watching the sunset. Daichi basked in the moment and wished he could stay in that precise instant forever. If they could stay like that, the sun would never go down, it’d never be a new day, and Suga would never leave him for America. Tomorrow was the big day: it placed a sense of subtle urgency and seriousness in the conversations between Suga and Daichi despite the attempts to keep them as light as when things are normal. But then again, what exactly was normal to the two of them. Their friendship certainly wasn’t normal, what with Daichi’s immediate need to take comfort in Suga whenever anything in his life went wrong. Despite the perhaps abnormal nature of their closeness and the number of difficult situations they had weathered together, the air that night was tense in a way Daichi believed it never ever should be with Suga. He felt the pressure of needing to tell Suga a million things without knowing what a single one was or how he could make anything even a little better. Both held on extra-long as they hugged goodnight. Daichi walked home, alone with his thoughts, and regardless of his cloudy head was able to see his relationship clearly for the first time. He had always loved Suga but now it was too late for them. 

As it turned out, Asahi was probably the best roommate Daichi could have especially during his tumultuous freshman year. The two spent plenty of quality time together during the day and then Asahi left to be with Noya in the evening, giving Daichi a couple hours every day to himself. He developed an endless cycle of waiting for Asahi to vacate the room and then slowly going through the scrapbook Suga gave him as a graduation gift. That scrapbook covered everything from volleyball to sleepovers to the many times Suga had opened his arms when Daichi went to him with tears in his eyes. He missed Suga more than ever when he read the book. Daichi swore that he would never forget Suga. He secretly hoped Suga made the same promise. He was always asleep, scrapbook in hand, when Asahi returned each night.

The night before graduation, Daichi sat alone in the apartment he shared with Asahi and Noya. Four years had passed slowly without Suga and Daichi was convinced the other two only let him live with them out of pity. He had no one else. Everyone had moved past him, didn’t need him anymore. Tsukiyama and Yamaguchi had broken off contact the day Daichi graduated from high school. Hinata hadn’t called for advice about Kageyama in five months. Tanaka sent the obligatory email every once in a while but he didn’t really need Daichi in the way he used to when they played together. Even Asahi and Noya were beyond him: the two were as cute as ever and a constant painful reminder that this could have been him and Suga if only he tried a little bit harder when he had the chance. He took longer than normal to go through the scrapbook, it being a “special occasion” and all. He slipped up and took too long, was still crying on the floor in the middle of the living room when Asahi and Noya returned. 

He was sandwiched between Asahi and Noya on the couch, the two providing a comforting atmosphere as he stared at his phone. It didn’t take long for him to type out the message- he had spent four years writing and revising it as he cried over the scrapbook. 

_It’s been a long time, Suga. Do you ever miss me? I miss you, especially at night. I know how that sounds but night has always been our time and I can’t help myself. We haven’t talked in four years and there are so many things I need to say, so many things I wanted to say that night but then you were gone and I lost my chance. I wish I could have made everything right between us long before you left America, but I guess I’m on the other side of that now and can see our friendship for what it was. I guess I really did mean it every time I said I loved you. I know that us being together is impossible- America seems even farther away now than it did four years ago and your mom said there’s no sign of you coming back home soon. But just know that every time I ran, I ran to you. You are the single most important person in my life and I’m so sorry I didn’t cherish you when I had you. I guess I’m sending this after all this time because I need to move on. I’ve clung to my memories of you but tomorrow I graduate and enter the “real world.” I need to learn to be myself and I guess that won’t happen while I’m like this. So I need to say goodbye. I have always loved you and I will never stop, Sugawara Koushi. I wish you good luck with everything in your life. Goodbye, Suga._

Daichi woke up at 6:32 to frantic knocking at the door of his apartment. He grumbled about how unnecessary 6:32 in the morning is while stumbling to answer the door. He groggily opened it, instantly waking up as soon as he saw who was standing in the hall. Suga had grown a couple centimeters while at university and he looked frazzled and sleep deprived.

“Can I come in?” He asked quietly, moving to sit down on the couch. “Daichi I am so sorry. My flight just got in and my mom gave me your address and I got your text when I arrived and I’m sorry for suddenly showing up on your doorstep but I’m home now and I’m not going anywhere I’ve always loved you too can you ever trust me again I am so sorry for hurting you,” the words flowed from Suga’s mouth as the tears welled up in both of their eyes. 

“You’re here, you’re actually here please tell me I’m not dreaming. Please don’t ever leave me again I need you in my life I’m sorry I didn’t realize just how much I needed you until you were in America just please stay here with me forever I can’t be without you.” Daichi paused as he realized what he just said. “As for the present, there are four hours before I need to start getting ready and a comfortable bed that would be perfect for the two of us. Can I interest you in a thing called sleep? We can talk later. Oh, and graduation is at three you’d better be front and center when I walk across that stage.”

The two somehow made it to Daichi’s bed before curling up together and drifting off to sleep. The last thing that crossed Daichi’s mind was that no matter what the future held for Suga and him, he would always have Suga by his side. Yes, he was on the other side of everything now and he quite liked the view.

**Author's Note:**

> I really hope you enjoyed this! I can be found at maintainingthemadness.tumblr.com and I hopefully will be adding another fic soon. Have a great day!


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